Inflation slowed for the first time in 14 months in Japan, and consumer prices, excluding fresh food, increased by 3.1 percent in February compared to a year ago.

Japan’s inflation slowed for the first time in more than a year amid government energy subsidies and the strong trend ahead of the Bank of Japan’s first leadership change in a decade.

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1 percent in February from a year ago and slowed by more than one percentage point from the previous month due to cheaper energy costs, the interior ministry reported on Friday.

“Government measures are limiting energy, but I expect food prices to continue to rise for a while,” said Economist Yuichi Kodama of the Meiji Yasuda Research Institute.